Soweto is rich, poor, vibrant, sprawling and diverse. It was established in the 1930s with a principal function to house the massive number of migrant workers who flocked to Jo’burg to work on the mines and consequently grew rapidly in a largely unplanned manner. Resentment to white authority boiled over in the 1970s and 80s and Soweto became a flashpoint of violence and revolt, prompting the eventual release of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s journey to democracy.

Take a tour with a knowledgeable guide who will show you the Baragwanath Hospital – the world’s biggest – Mandela’s humble old house, the Hector Pieterson memorial museum, which is devoted to the first victim of the 1976 uprisings, and the Regina Mundi church where many anti-apartheid activists were given shelter and security. Browse an African market and round off the day with beer at a traditional shebeen. Any visit to Gauteng would be incomplete without experiencing this fascinating place – go there. After lunch we proceed to the Apartheid Museum.

This newly built museum next to Gold Reef City illustrates the rise and fall of Apartheid. Visitors walk through the 22 individual exhibition areas containing film footage, photographs, text panels and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories behind apartheid. At the end you’ll have a far deeper under- standing of the why and how of apartheid and the South Africa of today